Saturn is one of planets of the Solar System, it is the sixth from the Sun. It is famous for its beautiful rings, formed from ice and rocks.
It is one of the four gaseous planets along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. This means that Saturn is made up mostly of gases and does not have a solid surface like Earth's.
The planet was found by the astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610. Saturn has, predominantly, the yellow color, in different tones. It is the gases present in its atmosphere that make the planet look this way.
Saturn's south pole may have a darker color, due to the several layers of clouds that are concentrated in this region, known as Saturn's Eye.
Saturn is 5.683 × 1026 kg of mass, it is the planet with the largest number of natural satellites: 145 moons. The biggest of them is called Titan, which even has its own atmosphere.
Characteristics of Saturn
Saturn Temperature
Saturn's temperature is around -178°C. This is the approximate value for the most superficial part of the planet, however, when approaching its core, the temperature and pressure are very high, exceeding thousands of degrees.
Saturn's atmosphere
The planet's atmosphere is mainly composed of hydrogen, helium It is methane gas. It is also known for having strong winds, the Eye of Saturn, for example, is located at one of the planet's poles and is formed by layers of clouds that cause storms in the area.
Composition of Saturn
Saturn is a gas planet, composed mainly of gases such as hydrogen and helium. Although the planet does not have a well-defined surface, scientists believe that as one moves deeper into its interior, it would be possible to find substances in liquid and solid states.
Saturn's rotation and translation movements
The rotational movement of Saturn, in which the planet revolves around itself, takes approximately 10.7 hours. The translation movement, in which the planet revolves around the Sun, takes 29.4 Earth years. Saturn is 1,429,400,000 km from the Sun.
Why does Saturn have rings
Saturn is known for its beautiful rings, although other planets also have rings around them, Saturn's are the most beautiful in the Solar System.
The rings are formed by rocks and ice. It is not known for sure how the rings appeared, or when. Some theories claim that this material could have arisen from pieces of Saturn that were detached from the planet after collisions with other celestial bodies.
Another theory states that the rings could be the result of a disintegrated moon. There are studies that indicate that the rings appeared with the formation of the planet, others say that the rings are younger, around 100 million years old.
However, it is known that the rings remain around Saturn thanks to the force of gravity, including moons that are located between the rings.
See too: Planet Jupiter and what is the solar system.
